Anthem
by TheRedPenofDoom87
Summary: just a little fluffy Zutara one-shot...something i wrote in two hours...EDIT: now there's a second chapter...i might do a third..i'm not sure.
1. Chapter 1

**_so, i know im supposed to be hard at work on "Firefly" and i am, don't worry, i have it all mapped out and i have already begun to put it on the computer in between study sessions...however_**

**_I was on today and i read a message from my friend GreenifyME...she was at Comic-Con in NYC and saw the new trailer for Season 3 of Avatar, and my hand to God, Zutura is gonna happen!! if you don't believe me, visit her page on the afromentioned sight and click the link...you will die...i danced around for a while!!_**

**_so this little one-shot...(im thinking of making it another chapter long) is the result of my giddinesss...i wrote it in about 2 hours and was partically inspired by "Anthem" by Any Rand (if you haven't read it, do so, its awsome!!) as you can tell...something about that quote made me wanna write a fluffly lill Zutura oneshot...anywho...enjoy!!_**

**_i don't own anything...everything is owned by Mike and Bryan and Ayn Rand...even the Zutara-ness... DOES HAPPY DANCE_**

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"_**We know, when we look into each other's eyes. And when we look thus without words, we both know other things also, strange things for which there are no words, and these things frighten us."- Ayn Rand, "Anthem"**_

* * *

There are moments in the dark of the night when all the world seems to shrink before her. The enormous task set before them weighs down on her so much it is hard for her to breathe. On those nights when the moon is dark and the stars cannot shine through her fear, she lies there wide awake.

No one else knows. The rest of her companions are tired after their long days of travel and training. Even as her bones ache and her muscles scream exhaustion, she cannot close her eyes. And so on nights like these, she listens to the steady breathing of her friends, her family, her entire world. She records the peaceful sounds, treasuring them. Somehow, she is afraid that they will not always be there. On this journey, it is an all too possible reality.

She sits up, realizing that she doesn't hear the steady breathing of the last member of their group. She gets up and walks to the small campfire he built. He is there, gazing into the small fire as if it is an oracle. He doesn't even know she is there until she sits down next to him.

She can feel him look over at her and they do not speak. There is no need. She draws her knees up to her chest and rests her chin on them. A silent question passes between them. _Are you afraid?_

His amber eyes search her ocean-blue ones. She sees everything reflected in those eyes. He no longer hides behind that scar; he overcomes it and shines through it. He is no longer a boy, she notes. Just as she is no longer a girl. And quite suddenly the world is hazy with shades of grey instead of the sharp contrast of black and white.

_Yes_, he leans in toward her. His hand hovers over hers as it sits beside her. She beats him to the punch and slowly rotates her hand so that it lays waiting on the ground for him. He looks up at her again. _Are you?_

Now is the time for truth, she realizes. It is now or never. She reaches up and slips her fingers through his. His much larger hands are warm and welcoming against the cold and dark of the night with no moon. _Yes..._

The hardness in his gaze softens ever so slightly. He leans toward her again, this time just brushing his shoulder against hers. She can tell he wants to wrap his arms around her and she does too, but for now it is enough. They don't need grand gestures or fancy words that carry little meaning for anyone.

This is their song; the beat of their hearts in time to each other, the crackling of the campfire and the singing of their blood as it races under their skin. She relaxes against him and he against her as they are bathed in the light of this song that keeps the darkness at bay. This is their anthem.

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_so...yeah...let me know what you think_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing..._**

**_A/N: i have no idea where this came from, it was just something that popped into my head. Enjoy!!_**

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**_"trust your heart If the seas catch fire (and live by love Though the stars walk backward) E.E Cummings_**

* * *

They are alone in the chaos. All around them the world is going to hell in a fiery display of destruction. Screams from the injured and dying make her head swim. The smell of blood and burned flesh waft through the smoky air. They are alone in the middle of it all.

Heralded by the fiery message in the sky, they too ran toward the end of their journey. But both of them got separated and are trapped now. All around them the fire roars and spits like some wild beast. She won't cry now. She has to keep fighting. He can hold back the fire for now, but now is not forever.

For a brief moment, she looks over her shoulder to see him looking right back at her. The dancing flames surrounding them are reflected in his eyes. He knows it too. This is the end. It has come for them both.

She finds it ironic really, to be standing there with the man she used to despise, hate and fear. It is almost comical that she will spend the last moment of her life with him. And yet...she couldn't have it any other way. At least this way, she will hear their anthem one last time. Because without him, the song only whispers brokenly.

Suddenly in his eyes, she sees an idea forming. He holds out a hand to her in a silent question _Do you trust me?_

She grasps his hand without a second thought. _Yes!_

He nods as their anthem roars in their ears. It grows louder until it is all they can see, hear, and feel. It drowns out the crackling of the fire, the rushing of the river, the shrieking of the wind and the rumbling of the earth beneath their feet. It is more powerful than all the elements together and they know it now.

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_don't ask me if they live, because i have no idea...honestly these characters have gotten into my brain and taken over..._


End file.
